How often do you wax?

[Millertime]

Dubbing wax.

How often do you guys wax?
On nymphs?
Only on drys?

Not at all?

How does it effect sink rate and or floatation?

Any other heads up about wax that I should know?

It makes things really clean and neat for me I just dont want it to negatively effect my presentation.

 

[David]

Wax on - wax off, millerson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aYl7N0JPWs

10% of the guys admit to waxing their thread, the other 90% are liars! :-o

Ok, ok...I rarely, if ever, wax my thread. It just doesn't seem to make much of a difference for me.

Edit: I'll occasionally wet my fingers before I spin with natural fur...seems to be all I need.

 

[ryguyfi]

I don't use it at all. I can see some advantages in doing dubbing loops, but I have no problems keeping my dubbing on my thread and to the right proportions. So someone else can chime in on the pro's and con's of wax.

 

[dryflyguy]

I think it helps some, and is worth using

 

[afishinado]

Wax is essential for touch dubbing methods. In general, no wax is needed for long stranded synthetic dubbing, but usually helps for dubbing natural furs with guard hairs. I also find wax helpful for dubbing small patterns where I just want to "dirty" the thread with dubbing to form a small, slim body.

 

[Millertime]

I really like it for hares ears.

it just seems to hold things where I want them better.

 

[MKern]

I rearely use it and don't see much of a difference.
I buy waxed thread though.

 

[tomgamber]

I either roll it,spin it or loop it.

I haven't waxed in years. But I don't wear speedos anymore either.... :-o

 

[Rkey530]

I use wax for dubbing on my nymphs, esp the hair's ears in the smaller sizes where I would think a dubbing loop would get things thick too quick. I've never used it for dubbing dry flies where I usually just twist the dubbing onto the thread really tightly. I think someone may have once told me not to wax thread on a dry fly. I believe I use the Wapsi wax in the bright orange tube, some of the older guys still have this wax that came in a thick dayglo green tube thats suppossedly vastly superior though not sold anymore as it was toxic or something. I can't recall the name, possibly because i think the wax ate off the name on every tube of the stuff i've ever seen. If you can get your hands on the green tube and don't plan on having kids, go for it.

 

[gfen]

Depends on the dubbing, and it depends on the condition of my fingers. For loops/touch dubbing, obviously every time.

I've done some tying this winter, I've had to run my fingers over was every time. However, this spring and fall, I don't think I had to wax at all.

 

[boss_steb]

Millertime...

that is sort of a personal question man...

tom... no one wants to see me in a speedo...including me...

I never use wax...I do far more loop dubbing than I had in the past...

boss

 

[whheff]

I will use bee's wax on my silk soft hackles and when I am touch dubbing. If I need to use something, I will use water that I keep in a cup at the bench. I think the water holds without clumping and I get a look at what the fly will look like wet.

 

[beeber2]

Never

 

[sundrunk]

never

 

[sandfly]

Depends on what I am tying at the time, some flies I like it on some not. I never use it with my dry fly dubbing (synthetic) or wet it.

Wonderwax was the old wax the oldtimers used.

 

[DGC]

Rarely. Some chopped yarns need some extra stickiness to adhere if you do a standard dub.

I have heard of touch dubbing needing it, I think for some LaFontaine patterns, but I have never tried those. Would be curious exactly what pattern is being tied using touch dubbing technique.

 

[bam]

The only time I use it is if I'm touch dubbing really small wets and even then You can get away without it.

Here's a good example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zR2QXREz70

 

[dryflyguy]

sandfly wrote:
Depends on what I am tying at the time, some flies I like it on some not. I never use it with my dry fly dubbing (synthetic) or wet it.

Wonderwax was the old wax the oldtimers used.

I still have and use and old tube of overton's wonder wax. Guess that makes me and old timer?

 

[shakey]

i used to use it a lot,now hardly ever.

i do use cobblers wak on greenwells glories.sometimes i dub over coblers wax if i've used it to turn purple thread black for spiders.

 

[ezpickins]

tomgamber wrote:
I haven't waxed in years. But I don't wear speedos anymore either.... :-o

At least I wasn't the only one who thought that.


Seriously though - I use some wax when doing natural fur (muskrat, squirrel, etc) dubbing loops for nymphs A little wax seems to help me keep the fur in place long enough to close the loop and spin it.

Other than for loops not so much - except squirrel dubbing, a little wax on the fingers is very helpful for squirrel.